Virginia Lee Burton
Virginia Lee Burton (August 30, 1909, in Newton Centre, Massachusetts – October 15, 1968) was an American illustrator and children's book author. Burton wrote and illustrated seven children's books, including the Caldecott Medal winning The Little House. Also known by her married name, Virginia Demetrios, she died in 1968 of lung cancer.[1] The importance of Virginia Lee Burton's work for the development of modern environmentalism is discussed in a 2011 academic article published by the Journal of Urban History.[2].
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Virginia Lee Burton's books are notable for their swirling, stylized illustrations and storylines concerning technological change. They often feature characters that are buildings or machines, such as Katy the snow plow in Katy and the Big Snow, and Mary Anne the steam shovel in Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel.
[edit] Books by Burton
- Choo Choo, © 1937. ISBN 0-395-47942-8
- Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel, © 1939. ISBN 0-590-75803-9
- Calico the Wonder Horse, or the Saga of Stewy Stinker, © 1941.
"I did for both Aris and Mike [her children] in an attempt to wean them away from comic books."
- The Little House, © 1942. (Caldecott Medal winner)ISBN 0-395-18156-9
"was based on our own little house which we moved from the street into a field of daises with apple trees growing around."
- Katy and the Big Snow, © 1943. ISBN 0-395-95991-8
"the story of our Gloucester Highway Department."
- Maybelle the Cable Car, © 1952. ISBN 0-618-16440-5
"was made in memory of my school days in San Francisco."
- Life Story, © 1962. ISBN 0-039-552017-7 (Revised in 2009, ISBN 0-547-20359-4)
"This book took me eight years to complete. The research from book—museums of natural history—and direct observation from life was an education in itself."
- Mike Mulligan and More: Four Classic Stories by Virginia Lee Burton, 2002, omnibus volume ISBN 0-618-25627-X
[edit] Illustrated by Burton
- The Emperor's New Clothes, Hans Christian Andersen, 1973. ISBN 0-618-34420-9
- The Song of Robin Hood, stories compiled by Anne Malcolmson, adaptation for musical scores Grace Castagnetta, © 1947. ISBN 0-618-07186-5
- LA Casita by Virginia Lee Burton, Maria Elena Herrera, 1994. ISBN 970-629-050-8
- Fast Sooner Hound, Arna Bontemps and Jack Conroy, 1975. ISBN 0-395-18657-9
- Sad-Faced Boy, Arna Bontemps, © 1937. ISBN 0-395-06643-3
- Don Coyote, Leigh Peck, (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1942).
[edit] Resources
- Virginia Lee Burton: A Life in Art, by Barbara Elleman, 2002, ISBN 0-618-00342-8
- Virginia Lee Burton: A Sense of Place, a documentary film narrated by Lindsay Crouse, had its world premiere at the Cape Ann Museum on December 8, 2007. The film is produced by Christine Lundberg of Red Dory Productions, Gloucester MA in partnership with filmmaker Rawn Fulton of Searchlight Films, Bernardston MA, with music composed by Steven Schoenberg of Quabbin Music, New Salem MA. It had its initial broadcast on WGBH, Boston Channel 44) on December 30, 2007 at 7 p.m.[1]. For more information, visit www.virginialeeburtonthefilm.com
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.ortakales.com/illustrators/Burton.html Women Children's Book Illustrators--Virginia Lee Burton
- ^ See Joe Goddard, "Virginia Lee Burton’s Little House in Popular Consciousness: Fuelling Postwar Environmentalism and Antiurbanism" in Journal of Urban History ( July 2011). Abstract online at :http://juh.sagepub.com/content/37/4/562.abstract
